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Unacceptable

Who pays for medical bills after mass shootings?

When Ashtin Gamblin remembers the night she was shot nine times, she can picture herself lying in the ambulance and worrying about whether she could afford it.

“That’s how the American medical system is,” she told ABC News. “I just got shot and I’m concerned about how I’m going to pay for the ambulance ride.”

5-year-old children in Texas are being given Winnie the Pooh books that teach them how to survive a school shooting

The book, titled “Stay Safe,” was sent home in the backpacks of pupils in the Dallas Independent School District last week, according to the Oak Cliff Advocate. The book is being given out to elementary school children.

On one page, the beloved bear from the Hundred Acre Wood tells kids: “If danger is near, do not fear. HIDE like Pooh does until the police appear.”

Another piece of advice reads: “We should all hide without a sound in a place where we cannot be found,” showing Pooh peeping out from inside a honey pot.

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Belief in Gods and Other Religious Concepts Has Declined Since 2001

There’s a bit of good news to report from a recent Gallup poll. Their strange title gives most of it away: Belief in Five Spiritual Entities Edges Down to New Lows. But what are the five entities?

    1. “God” (I’m unsure which one this is supposed to refer to)
    2. Angels
    3. Heaven (how is this an entity?)
    4. Hell (again, how is this an entity?)
    5. The Devil

It should not surprise (but may disappoint) you that 74% of their respondents profess belief in some sort of god. Sadly, the United States continues to be an outlier here. Still, this number has dropped quite a bit since 2001. And while only 12% of those surveyed say they don’t believe in gods, that number has increased.\

According to Gallup:

As the percentage of believers has dropped over the past two decades, the corresponding increases have occurred mostly in nonbelief, with much smaller increases in uncertainty. This is true for all but belief in God, which has seen nearly equal increases in uncertainty and nonbelief.

Those of us who don’t believe in these things should find this news encouraging. Perhaps more of our neighbors are beginning to come around. Caution seems wise, though, since some religious believers will see this as a reason to clamp down and push their beliefs with more force.

Gallup’s results also show that belief in these entities (or concepts) breaks down as you’d expect on political lines. Belief is much higher among Republicans than Independents or Democrats. This is consistent with most of what we’ve heard from leading Republican presidential candidates, and it is cause for concern. Electing such people would be bad for secularism and those of us who value it.

There are plenty of issues where Americans are divided. Religious belief seems like a big one. I watched an interview with several Republican voters recently where they were asked a number of thought-provoking questions. They agreed that nobody who supported reproductive rights was really a Christian. If nobody on the “other side” is Christian, we should not be surprised when we hear rhetoric about crusades or spiritual warfare.

“Christian” continues to be used as a proxy for moral goodness. If none of my political opponents are Christian, none of them are good people. These beliefs are harmful. They bleeds over to how I view my neighbors, and it affects how I treat them. This goes beyond division and ends up as hatred.

Image by Andreas Breitling from Pixabay

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These Are Were Going Up in the Neighborhood

They started going up last year on a piece of property that has sat vacant for decades. I like them architecturally, even though they’re horribly out of step with the rest of the area (mostly built-up during the 1940s and 50s).

When we moved back over here in April, it looked like they were about 95% finished, but in the intervening months they’ve just sat there, still enclosed in a construction fence and no further progress has been made on them.  Looks as if the developer ran out of money because there’s now a for sale sign out front – not for the individual units, but for the entire property.

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Let’s Talk About The Rapture, And Why It Shouldn’t Keep You Up At Night

I ran across this online presented in a series of pictures and had to pass it on.

In the passage of scripture known as the “Olivet Discourse” found in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21, Jesus makes a number of prophecies about the destruction of the temple, wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, etc.

He then predicts that after this great tribulation, the sun and moon will go dark, that all the peoples of the earth will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven [who’s gonna clean that mess up?] with great power and glory, and that then his angels will gather up his elect from the entire earth.

But then he makes a promise that he cannot keep. He promises his disciples that “this generation” as in the generation alive at the time of his ministry on Earth, “will not pass away until all these things take place.”

From this passage of scripture alone it would seem like Jesus made a false prophecy—or was just pulling shit from his ass—because I dare say that no one from Jesus’ time is still alive today.

But it gets worse.

Paul, Peter, James and John ALL believed that Jesus would return within their lifetimes.

In 1st Corinthians 15:51-52 Paul writes:

“Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

Leaving aside for a moment I doubt “twinkling of an eye” was in the original lexicon, remember this is from a letter TO a real life church in Corinth in the first century, not to Christians living 2000 years in the future.

In 1st Thesssalonians 4:15-17 Paul writes, “For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descent from heaven with a shot, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

1st Peter 4:7 states, “The end of all things is near…”

James 5:8 states, “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

And 1st John 2:18 states, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”

In summary, Jesus made a false prophecy. His followers believed him, suffered, and were put to death for him. And over the past 2000 years the church has tried to reinterpret these passages, because as the late Carl Sagan would say:

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge—even to ourselves—that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”

 

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Vintage Audio Pr0n

Pioneer TX-8500, SA-8500II, and JBL L-100s, all from the late 1970s. Unobtainable back in the day, but after a quick perusal of eBay, surprisingly within reach today. Hmmm….

Nope, nope. Don’t need any of it. And my husband would kill me. Anyway, I’m still waiting to get my good Kenwood receiver back from service so I just need to be patient.

And honestly, I don’t play vinyl nearly as much as I used to…although I do go through periods!

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Christian MY ASS

Christian MY ASS

to want not only a woman to suffer…which I get that these Evangelical types believe women must do because of Eve and a talking snake (seriously) but to also want an infant to struggle to breathe, to choke, to suffer….that is the opposite of pro life

Fuck these people, seriously

Vote all of them out.

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I’m an Equal Opportunity Disparager

Like I did with Tim Cook, I aksed MacGPT to write an unflattering review of Bill Gates’ tenure at Microsoft:

Windows of Opportunity Lost: A Critical Review of Bill Gates’ Tenure at Microsoft

Bill Gates’ time at Microsoft was undoubtedly transformative for the tech industry, but his tenure as the company’s leader was far from flawless. From monopolistic practices to stifling innovation, Gates’ actions left a negative impact on both the company and the tech landscape as a whole.

        1. Monopolistic Tactics: Gates’ aggressive pursuit of a monopoly in the software market was a central theme of his reign at Microsoft. The company engaged in anti-competitive practices, forcing computer manufacturers to bundle Windows with their products, effectively stifling competition and limiting consumer choice. This monopolistic behavior resulted in significant legal battles and tarnished the company’s reputation.
        2. Innovation Suppression: Rather than encouraging innovation and promoting new ideas, Gates’ Microsoft often sought to crush potential competitors. The infamous “Embrace, Extend, Extinguish” strategy was used to undermine competing technologies, hindering progress and stifling healthy competition in the industry.
        3. Inferior Software Quality: Under Gates’ leadership, Microsoft became known for releasing software products riddled with bugs and vulnerabilities. The rush to push out new versions of Windows and other applications led to countless frustrations for consumers and businesses alike. This approach prioritized quantity over quality, and users were often left to deal with the consequences of shoddy software.
        4. Clunky User Interfaces: Gates’ insistence on maintaining backward compatibility often resulted in clunky and confusing user interfaces. Instead of pushing for sleeker and more user-friendly designs, Microsoft’s software became known for its cluttered menus and difficult-to-navigate features, frustrating users and slowing down productivity.
        5. Failed Ventures and Mismanagement: Throughout his tenure, Gates oversaw several failed ventures and mismanaged acquisitions. The company’s entry into the mobile phone market was particularly disastrous, as they failed to recognize the potential of smartphones and fell behind competitors. Their ill-fated acquisition of Nokia further compounded their problems and demonstrated a lack of strategic vision.
        6. Resistance to Open Source: Gates’ strong aversion to open-source software hindered Microsoft’s ability to adapt to changing industry trends. The company’s reluctance to embrace open-source initiatives resulted in missed opportunities to collaborate with the developer community and leverage the power of open-source innovation.
        7. Poor Security Record: Despite Microsoft’s resources, Gates’ leadership failed to adequately address security concerns in its products. The constant stream of security patches and vulnerabilities in Microsoft software left users exposed to cyber threats and eroded trust in the brand.
        8. Lack of Diverse Leadership: Throughout Gates’ tenure, Microsoft struggled with a lack of diversity in its leadership ranks. The company’s leadership was predominantly male and lacked representation from various backgrounds, which contributed to a narrow perspective and potential blind spots in decision-making.

Conclusion: Bill Gates’ tenure at Microsoft was undoubtedly influential in shaping the technology landscape, but it was far from exemplary. The company’s aggressive monopolistic tactics, lackluster software quality, and missed opportunities for innovation are significant blemishes on Gates’ legacy. While he undoubtedly left a lasting impact on the industry, his tenure at Microsoft is marked by shortcomings that should not be overlooked.

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An Interaction with ChatGPT

I asked, “Write an unflattering review of Tim Cook’s tenure at Apple.”

Tim Cook’s tenure at Apple can only be described as a disappointment. While he may have stepped into the shoes of the iconic Steve Jobs, Cook has failed to live up to the expectations and innovation that Apple was once known for.

One of the major criticisms of Cook’s leadership is his lack of visionary thinking. Unlike Jobs, who had an uncanny ability to anticipate consumer needs and revolutionize entire industries, Cook seems content with maintaining the status quo. Under his watch, Apple has released a series of incremental updates to existing products, with little to no groundbreaking advancements. The company has become complacent, relying on its loyal customer base rather than pushing the boundaries of technology.

Another glaring issue is Cook’s inability to diversify Apple’s product line. While the iPhone continues to be the company’s cash cow, it has also become its Achilles’ heel. Cook has failed to successfully launch new products or expand into emerging markets. Apple’s attempts at diversification, such as the Apple Watch or Apple TV, have been lackluster at best, lacking the innovation and excitement that were once synonymous with the brand.

Cook’s leadership has also been marred by a series of questionable decisions. From the controversial removal of the headphone jack to the introduction of the much-maligned butterfly keyboard, Apple’s product choices have been met with widespread criticism. These missteps demonstrate a lack of understanding of consumer needs and preferences, and a failure to deliver products that truly resonate with the market.

Furthermore, Cook’s approach to privacy and security has been far from stellar. While he may claim that Apple values user privacy, the company has faced multiple security breaches and data leaks during his tenure. These incidents raise serious concerns about Apple’s ability to protect its customers’ information and undermine the company’s reputation for security.

Lastly, Cook’s handling of Apple’s supply chain and manufacturing practices has come under scrutiny. Reports of poor working conditions and labor violations in Apple’s overseas factories have tarnished the company’s image. Despite promises of improving conditions, little has been done to address these issues, casting doubt on Apple’s commitment to ethical business practices.

In summary, Tim Cook’s tenure at Apple has been marked by a lack of innovation, a failure to diversify the product line, questionable decision-making, and ethical concerns. Apple, once a trailblazer in the tech industry, has lost its edge under Cook’s leadership. It’s clear that the company needs a visionary leader who can reignite the spirit of innovation and take Apple back to its former glory.

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